Bonds of Love
by Muse Dae
Summary: *Abandoned*
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters you recognize. But I do own the plot line of _Bonds of Blood_. Arabella Figg, Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans, Peter Pettigrew and Harry Potter all belong to the wonderful goddess J.K. Rowling. And I'm saying this because I KNOW that she is either lurking on this site, or writing a fanfic! I JUST KNOW IT! Anyway…That's my disclaimer. Now on with the show…err…I mean story! 

**Warning:** I am currently hyped up on Wonka© Runts© so this chapter might be a little jumpy and hyper like…I'm not sure how a chapter can be hyper…OH WELL!

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"BYE GUYS! I'LL MISS YOU GUYS! REMEMBER, PAGE 183. DON'T GET CAUGHT. I LOVE YOU GUYS! NO POTTER, I DON'T LOVE YOU! GO AWAY!"

It was a gusty June day. Fall seemed to have decided to come three months early and crisp brown, red and yellow leaves were flying around in the wind and on the station platform. A mop of red hair, pulled back with a pale muggle ponytail holder was visible through the crowd. Beside the red hair was another ponytail, though this time the hair was longer, choppier, blonde and streaked with black. Two girls stood beside each other, waving to their fellow classmates. Two more girls, one with blue hair and the other had half bubble-gum pink hair and half emerald green. The bubble-gum-emerald haired girl's hair suddenly changed to long, straight and black with a small pop.

"Katrina Livington! I ORDER you to stop morphing. Just because you can morph will a small pop and I make a louder pop doesn't mean you get TO SHOW OFF!"

Shrieked the blue haired girl to the black haired one. Katrina smirked and with another small pop her hair was blue.

"I feel like stealing your hair color sister dear. Poor widdle Kari has to change her hair color so she won't look like her twin!"

Katrina chuckled slightly as her sister, Kari, emitted a small growl and a 'pop' as her hair became purple and long. The red head and the black haired girl were just staring at the squabbling twins. The red head turned to the black haired girl.

"Arabella…"

"Don't call me that"

"Abby"

"No"

"Bella…?"

"That's better"

"Ok, Bella, my black haired catty friend, do you think they'll ever stop arguing in time to get on the train?"

"No Lily, my red haired vixen friend, I do not think they will"

"Then, shall we make them Bella?"

"Yes, I think she should…But, the question is, how?"

"I dunno…Bella, why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was just thinking we could get Potter to…"

"NO!"

"OI! POTTER!"

"No! No! NO! …Sod off Potter! You too, Black!"

Cried Lily as two black haired boys sauntered over to them. Both were smirking, although Sirius was taller with grey eyes while James Potter had brown eyes. James simply shrugged but Sirius looked mock-hurt. He waggled his eyebrows at Bella, while James was avidly staring at Lily.

"Whatcha want min cherry"

"For the record Black, it's _Mon Cheri_ not 'min cherry'. And I called you, well; I called Potter over here so he could help us get these two,"

Bella indicated Katrina and Kari, who were still bickering,

"Onto the train because it is about to leave and we…"

Bella cut off in mid sentence, silenced by a glare from Lily. Sirius looked from Bella to Lily, slightly confused.

"Have to what?" He asked.

"Nothing, nope. Nothing at all. So, will ya help us or not"

"Prongs, you grab Katrina, I got Kari. Come on."

James nodded and scooped up Katrina, carrying her onto the train and depositing her on a bench in the back compartment of the carriage. Lily and Bella sat down next to Katrina, who was staring at James indignantly.

"Whatcha do that for Potter?"

"Make way! Kari, you are light, very light. Did you know that you are lighter then a sack of flower?"

Sirius set Kari down across from Katrina. Now both girls were staring at James and Sirius. Sirius sat down next to Kari and James frowned.

"Padfoot…What the hell? Aren't we sitting with Moony and Wormtail?"

"No Prongs. Moony's out on business and Wormtail is out on one of his mysterious disappearing acts…Wait…THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF HOGWARTS EVER FOR US!"

Lily noticed Kari winced. Sirius had just yelped in her ear. James was frowning. There was nowhere for him to sit. Lily's large tabby cat, Crookshanks, was curled up on the other side of Kari. James sighed and picked up Lily, who scowled.

"Put me down Potter."

"With pleasure Evans"

James sat down and set Lily on his lap. Lily scowled and glared daggers at him. James's brown eyes stared straight into Lily's pools of green and she was forced to look away.

"Get out of my seat Potter"

"Unfortunately Evans, I cannot. There are no other seats. So, you may sit on my lap. Or you can go sit on Sirius's lap."

James smirked again and Lily pouted, acknowledging defeat. The train jerked and slowly started to chug along the tracks. All six of them stared out the window, looking through the rain that had just started to fall in a rush, at Hogwarts. All six of them knew they wouldn't be coming back next year. This was it. The last train ride.

"You guys got a plan? You know, for how not to get put up on auction?"

"Yeah."

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling you"

"Why vixen?"

"Don't call me that you bastard"

"I'll call you whatever I damn well please"

"No you won't"

"Yes, I will"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"YES"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP BOTH OF YOU. I SWARE YOU ACT LIKE AN OLD MARRIED COUPLE!"

Bella shrieked, having just about enough of the two enemies fighting. Lily and James both scowled and Lily stood up, turned around and sat on Sirius's lap. Sirius looked very pleased, but James was frowning. Lily smirked at the expression on James' face, but hit Sirius over the head as his hand started creeping up her back.

"No. Bad. Bella, switch seats with me. Please. Pretty Please? With sugar? Pleasseeeee?"

"No."

"Come on, why not?"

"Because I don't want to sit on Sirius's lap"

Lily had a sudden coughing spasm in which the words 'yeah right' were distinguishable. Bella turned crimson and fought to maintain her dignity.

"I don't! And my second point it, you don't want to sit next to James because you hate his motha' 'effin' guts and you always will even though you will always hate that 'effin' Slytherin jerk Cole more then you hate Jamesie over here after what Cole did to…"

Lily silenced Bella with a look that clearly said 'Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you.' Bella took the hint and shut her mouth. Sirius and James looked from Lily to Bella and back again. They then exchanged dark looks.

"What'd that git Cole do? His name is Thomas Cole, right?"

"No. Thomas is his Ravenclaw brother. Twin, actually. Thom's a real sweetie. Darryn Cole is the Slytherin twin. Motha' 'effin' jerk he is."

"Right. So, what did Cole do?"

"Nothing! He didn't do anything. Nope, nothing at all"

Lily jumped into the conversation before Bella could respond. Bella was her best friend but Bella had a big mouth and she couldn't be trusted at times. Sirius blinked and shook Lily hard. She scowled and slid off his lap, onto the compartment floor.

"Liar. Come on. What'd he do? Can't've been that bad"

"Phfff. Like you'd know!"

I would Evans."

"Whatever Potter"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, sheesh. Touchy aren't we"

"Shut it Evans"

"Ohhhh. Is ickle Jamsie getting mad?"

"Shut up Evans"

"Poor ickle Jamsie. Everyone is against him. He doesn't have a friend in the world."

"I said 'shut up Evans'"

"Why should I?"

"Because I said so"

"I don't have to listen to you"

"Yeah, you do"

"Why do I?"

"Because I say so"

"That's not a good enough reason so I'm not listening Ickle Jamsie"

"SHUT UP!"

"I will not"

"Be quiet Evans"

"No"

"What did you say?"

"I said no"

"You can't say no!"

"Yes I can. I just did, therefore proving that I can say NO"

"Evans, didn't I tell you to shut the hell up?"

"No. You told me to shut up and I told you that I will not!"

"You little mudblood bitch."

"JAMES!"

Sirius was staring at him in shock. James simple sneered and looked back at Sirius. Bella, who was sitting next to James, scowled and raised her hand, bring it down hard on James' cheek.

"YOU BASTARD. HOW DARE YOU CALL LILY A…A….A YOU KNOW WHAT!"

"Well its true"

James replied, still sneering. Sirius frowned, but nodded and sided with James.

"Bella, he's right."

"STAY OUT OF THIS BLACK!"

"NO, YOU STAY OUT OF IT FIGG"

"YEAH RIGHT. LILY'S MY BEST FRIEND, I HAVE A RIGHT TO DEFEND HER!"

"YOU'RE AS BAD AS SHE IS. ONLY YOU A PURE BLOOD"

"SO ARE YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

"SO! AT LEAST I DON'T EMBRACE IT!"

"YEAH, RIGHT!"

"I DON'T!"

"WHY ARE WE YELLING!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"LET'S STOP"

"OK!"

"Anyway…Lily, why are you down there?"

"Because I don't want to sit on that Muggle-hater's lap."

Lily scowled at James, who was still sneering.

"I said shut up!"

"NO!"

James looked astounded that Lily would actually say no. Sure, she'd said it before, but this time it really seemed to sink in. He raised his hand and was halfway through bringing it down to Lily's face before Sirius grabbed his hand. James shook his hand, trying to get away, but Sirius wouldn't let go.

"Dude, she's a girl. You don't hit girls! Anyway, they are going to go up on the auction block soon. Give them a few final moments of freedom before a lifetime of enslavement."

"WE ARE NOT GOING UP ON THE AUCTION BLOCK!"

"Sorry ladies, but, you are. My sister, Arina, she's older then I am, she told me that she wouldn't go up on the block and she and her friends had a page 183. I never knew what that meant, but I think it was a hide-out spell. They never got to use it. You ever wonder why there are men in black, hooded cloaks at the platform at the end of the school year. They are there to make sure none of you girls try to make a run for it. Arina…She didn't make it out and she was sold to some weird dude…I haven't seen her since then…"

Sirius took a breath after his second shortened speech. Everyone was staring at him, dumbstruck. Sirius blinked and looked around.

"What?"

"That was a long speech for you…"

"So?"

"So what?"

"Oh never mind"

Lily glanced at Bella and they both sighed.

"Page 183 is the Fidelous Charm. When it's preformed properly, it will hide the people who have the charm performed on them. They choose a secret keeper and the only way anyone can find them is if the secret keeper tells them where the people are hiding. It's really complex. Bella, I think we may have to make a run for it. Shrink your trunk."

Bella nodded and she pulled out her wand and pointed it at her trunk  
.  
"Reducio"

The trunk shrunk and Bella picked it up and slid it in her pocket. Lily followed suit with her cat and her trunk. Crookshanks became a kitten and fell asleep in Lily's pocket on top of the small trunk. Kari and Katrina, who had up to this moment been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"We're going to be caught. It's inevitable. It's fate. We're all going to get sold off to wizards who want witches for sex or cleaning or, if we're lucky, a rebel who'll set us free. But there aren't many of them. So, we're not in the best positions, are we?"

"No Kari, your right. We aren't in good positions. Oh well…We'll be the lucky one's who get sold to rebels. No. We won't even be sold because we won't get caught!"

The last declaration was, obviously, from Lily, who was still sitting on the floor. The train was slowing down and Platform 9 ¾ was drawing into sight. Men in long, black, hooded cloaks were standing around the platform. Lily noticed that Bella's parents weren't there to pick her up. Neither were her parents. Nor were Kari and Katrina's parents. So, it was true. Being caught was fate. But maybe not. Lily, Kari, Katrina and Bella were all petite. They resembled sixth years. Maybe they could pass for sixth years.

"Kari, Katrina, Bella, I've got an idea!"

Ushering James and Sirius out of the compartment, Lily pulled her three best friends towards her and shared her plan. Try to pass for Sixth Years. Hopefully it would work. Most sixth years were of age, so shrinking their trunks was a normal occurrence. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Katrina was the first to speak up.

"It's a great idea Lils, but the real question here is 'Will it work?'"

"The answer to that is, 'I don't know, but we'll just have to hope for the best'" "I guess."

"Listen guys, I've known you for all for seven years, and you guys are my best friends, you're like the sister's I've always wanted but never had…"

"But Lily, you have a sister, Petunia"

"I said 'The sister's I've always _wanted_' I don't want Petunia"

This statement was met by an outburst of giggles. Lily was the first to calm down and she began to speak again.

"Anyway, I just want to say, that even if I never see you guys again, you guys will always be my best friends, my sisters and I'll never forget any of you. I love you guys, you're the best friends a witch could have…And, I'm going to miss all of you."

Kari, Katrina and Bella all nodded and the four witches hugged. The train slowed to a stop. Lily stood up determinedly.

"It's now or never guys. Are you ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be Lils."

"I'm to miss you guys."

All four nodded and exited the compartment. Kari and Katrina went one way and Bella and Lily went the other. As they stepped off the train, they once again spotted Kari and Katrina. Lily put on a face of sadness and waved to Kari and Katrina.

"BYE GUYS! HAVE A GREAT SUMMER! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!"

Kari and Katrina waved back. They shouted something else, but their voices were lost among the hundreds of other shouts and screams. Lily and Bella saw their fellow seventh year girls all standing near black cloaked figures. Lily joined a crowd of sixth years with Bella and headed for the barrier to the Muggle world. The platform was almost empty now. Except for a few other seventh year girls who were trying to get away, Lily, Bella, Kari, Katrina and the black cloaked captors were the only one's left. They were nearly at the barrier.

"BOSS!LOOK! FOUR ARE TRYING TO GET AWAY!"

Lily blinked and swung around. Acloaked figure was pointing to Bella, Kari, Katrina and herself.A scream shattered the silence. Lily felt Bella pulled away from beside her and something hitting her hard over the head. She sunk to her knees, but that was all she knew before the world went black.

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**A/N: Ok. I'm a very bad person, posting this chapter while I really should be working on my other story. I promise I'll add another chapter soon! I promise! But I've got four annoying plot bunnies hopping around in my brain. One of them is for this story, another one is for _Forgotten Dreams. _The other two are for unwritten stories. But one of them is a sequel for _Forgotten Dreams. _I think _F.D. _takes place in sixth year. If it doesn't then I shall go in and make it so it does take place in sixth year. Anyway, I hoped you liked the first chapter of _Bonds of Love. _I know the summary says _Bonds of Blood_. But I liked _Bonds of Love _much more. Anyway, thanks for reading. I'll update as soon as I update _F.D._ Love ya guys! **

**-Liz**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters you recognize. But I do own the plot line of _Bonds of Blood_. Arabella Figg, Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans, Peter Pettigrew and Harry Potter all belong to the wonderful goddess J.K. Rowling. And I'm saying this because I KNOW that she is either lurking on this site, or writing a fanfic! I JUST KNOW IT! Anyway…That's my disclaimer. Now on with the show…err…I mean story!

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Her head was throbbing and her tongue felt thick and heavy in her mouth. Her arms were shaking as Lily pushed herself into a sitting position. She had been lying on something itchy and as she looked down, she reliezed it was straw. She put a hand to her throbbing head and a small moan escaped her lips as she ran her hand over a cut on the back of her head. Blood matted the hair by it. The last thing she remember was getting off the Hogwarts Express, then being pulled away from Bella and then that pain in the back of her head seconds before she passed out. As Lily reliesed why she and Bella had been running, she swore aloud. So, even after all that trouble, they'd still been caught by the Holders.

As the throbbing in her head subsided, Lily looked around. She was in a cell or at least, that's what it looked like. Cold, stone walls surrounded her on three sides, while bars formed a gate where the fourth wall should've been. The floor was hard and cold as frozen water to the touch. It was only now, when a gust of cold air hit her legs, did Lily reliezed she was no longer in her Hogwarts uniform. Someone, she shuddered at the thought, had undressed her and changed her into a pair of floaty blue pants, almost like those that a genie would wear and a small blue shirt that stretched tightly across her chest, but poofed out at the sleeves, like the pants. The clothes, a lighter blue then they had looked when she had first glanced at them, were nearly transparent and when Lily relized this, she let out a small sob. Suddenly, she felt silly. What was she doing, sitting here? Where were Kari and Rina? And Bella, where was Lily's blonde haired best friend? Already sold? Please god no. As Lily debated the idea that her friends were already sold off while she had been out of it, a cloaked figure unlocked the cell door and kicked her. Lily cried out in pain and she was sure the figure had smirked.

"Your awake. Good, you go on the block today then. With your _friends, _you mudblood bitch."

He spat the words and grabbed her by the arm, carefully. It almost seemed as though he didn't want to get any 'mudblood germs' on his gloves. She struggled to her feet, her legs wobbled. She hadn't used them for so long and they hurt so badly now. The cloaked man dragged Lily down a passage and pushed her into a room with about 20 other girls, all wearing the same clothes as she had on, but in different colors. Greens, golds, silvers and yellows were only a few among other colors. As Lily pushed herself to her feet again but her heart rose as she saw three girls huddled in a corner. Two of them had rapidly changing hair color and the other had blonde hair with streaks the color of a ravens feathers. She hurried over to them and tapped the blonde haired girl on the shoulder. The blonde girl looked around and let out a quiet shriek.

"Lils! We thought they'd already sold you off! Thank Merlin. Listen, we're going up on the stocks today. So, we'd better make the most of the time we have left, right?"

Lily nodded and joined the huddle of her three best friends. By now, all four of them had tears rolling down their cheeks. Kari's hair had finally stopped changing and had settled on a dark shade of blue. Katrina's hair was still flickering, one moment blonde, the next it was purple.

"I'm so sorry guys…I'm really going to miss you…"

Lily managed to find her voice for the first time since she had awoken. It was hoarse and had to get out through stifled sobs. A booming voice echoed in the room.

"LINE UP ACCORDING TO SIZE. SMALLEST IN THE FRONT!"

The girls all ran towards the door. Bella was 3rd from the front then Kari, Katrina and Lily was 6th from the front. They gripped each others hands for the last time before the door opened and they silently filed out, following the witch in front of them. They were stopped as the line approached a set of steps that led to a wooden platform. The first girl, a short, raven haired girl named Tasha was pushed up the steps by the cloaked figure at the front of the line. A cloaked man at the top of the steps pulled Tasha to the center of the platform. Sixty or seventy wizards, aging from 18 to 67 were cheering and hooting as Tasha stood in front of them.

"Tasha Ari Tare. Aged 18. 5'1. Not Fresh. Start bidding at 10 knuts."

The crowd went silent and a wizard in the back shouted 20 knuts. It rose to 3 galleons, then 7. 10, 14, 19 galleons. Tasha was looked more fearful by the second. As the bids hit 39 galleons it ended.

"SOLD TO JAKE GATA FOR 39 GALLEONS!"

Cried the cloaked wizard. Tasha's face broke into a smile and the girls in line all smiled to. Tasha and Jake had been secretly in love with each other ever since they had first arrived at Hogwarts. Jake had been a second year then while Tasha had only been a first year. But every day for six years they would stare at each other while the other wasn't looking, they'd talk about nothing and Tasha would often ask for Jake's help on homework, even though the fifth smartest girl in the year. And when Jake had left, Tasha had been devastated. But now, they were together again. And even though most of the girls in the line still felt horrible, and they had good reason to, they now had a little spark of hope in their hearts. As the next girl was called up, Lily turned looked at Bella, who was getting more nervous by the moment. Putting a hand on her friends shoulder, Lily smiled gently at Bella. As the girl in front stepped down from the platform, Bella gulped, flashed her ring at her friends and stepped up to the platform. Almost immeadantly, hectic bidding stared. No denying it, Bella was a pretty girl. The bidding rose from 5 galleons up for 65 in a matter of minutes. But one cry of "130 Galleons" drove off all competition. Bella looked around, dumbstruck that someone would pay 130 galleons for her and Sirius Black stepped out of the crowd. Bella's face fell as she stepped down from the platform. Lily smiled softly and whispered "good luck" to her best friend.

Kari and Katrina went up next. As twins, they were sold together. Both of them had rapidly changing hair colors now. A different color ever few seconds. Bidding rose at a fast pace. 20, 30, 70 galleons and the bidding stopped there. Remus Lupin stepped out of the crowd, a playful smirk on his face. Kari and Katrina both looked horrified as they stepped down and followed a cloaked wizard into a shack made of bamboo, with Remus following them, still smirking. And now it was Lily's turn.

She took a gulp of air and climbed up the stairs. They felt hard and cold under her socked feet. As she moved across the platform to the middle, she looked out over the sea of wizards. She nearly gagged as she approached the cloaked wizard. He stank of body odor and axe (A/N: Yeah, I know Axe wasn't around back then by who cares!). She coughed and he glared at her before starting to yelling again.

"Lilith Mari Evans. Aged 18. Fresh meat, to all the experienced boys out there."

Lily shut her eyes. Couldn't they just say 'virgin' instead of treating her like an animal. 'Fresh meat' it sounded so…ugh. But she opened her eyes as the bidding began, looking around at the frantic bidders.  
"We'll start at 20 galleons for this lovely young thang"

Cried the cloaked wizard. Lily scowled. Thang, was that even a word?

"30 galleons"

"40!"

"50!"

"55!"

"90!"

"120!"

"135!"

"149!"

"200!"

A voice echoed from the front of the pack and everyone stopped yelling. The wizard looked astonished as a dark-haired wizard stepped forth. Lily blinked, trying to figure out who this wizard was. She didn't think she'd ever seen him before. But then again, she couldn't see his face. An oversized hat kept that part of his body in shadow. The cloaked wizard seemed to come to his senses.

"Sooldddd!"

He cried and he was met with a tirade of groans. Lily frowned and stepped down from the platform, heading towards the cloaked witch who was motioning her and her new master towards the wood shack. Once, Lily chanced a glance at her 'master' only be met by his oversized cap flopping lazily. She hurried up and entered the shack as the woman opened the door. Inside was another cloaked wizard, holding a knife over a table. An open book lay on the table. Lily recoiled as she saw the bloody knife, but was shoved roughly forward by her 'master'.

She stumbled slightly into the cloaked wizard and hr grabbed her arm. Holding the knife to her wrist, he made a small slit on her arm. Blood oozed gently from the wound. The dark-haired man held out his arm and the cloaked wizard made a slit on her "masters'" wrist as well. Then, grabbing her wrist, he began to chant in an odd fashion, pressing Lily's wrist against her "masters'". Her blood oozed into the slit on the man's wrist and his blood oozed into her arm. She could barely hear what the cloaked man was chanting now.

Her eyes were fixed on her 'master'. Just a moment ago, she had caught him glance up and had seen a flash of hazel before he'd looked away. It was only when her master grabbed her uninjured arm that she relised the ceremony was over. And then she knew what had happened. She had been blood bonded to this stranger, her master. And there was nothing she could do about it.

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**A/N: **I'm realllyyyy sorry it's been taking me so long to update. It's just I'm having trouble balancing school work and writing. Some people who are in my classes know that. And I know that at least two of them coughjoshandmattvcough are reading one of my ficcies. Well, sorry for not updating for soooo long and I'll update again soon! I promise!


	3. Yet another untitled chapter

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters you recognize. But I do own the plot line of _Bonds of Blood_. Arabella Figg, Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans, Peter Pettigrew and Harry Potter all belong to the wonderful goddess J.K. Rowling.

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Lily still couldn't believe what had happened. For the past twenty minutes she had been silent, staring straight ahead as her 'master' pulled her into the shack on the other side of the field, where the other girls were being sold to their masters. Some had looks of happiness on their faces, others had tears running down their cheeks. Most were sold off to other Hogwarts students their age. Lily was snapped out of her thoughts by a sharp pain on her forearm. She winced and looked at her arm. Her 'master' was running a knife over her arm, writing something. Blood ran down her arm and she felt herself go pale. Her master picked up a wet cloth from a bowl and cleaned off the blood, leaving a glistening design imprinted in her skin.

She stared at it. It was like those marks that farmers put on cattle, so everyone would know that this cow was their cow. Well she was not a damn cow, but she sure as hell felt like one now. She had been branded and now officially a piece of property. To be abused or forgotten, like a teddy bear. She felt a lone tear run down her cheek as her master grabbed her arm and disapperated. Side-along dissapperation was not a pleasant experience. It was like being cut up and thrown around then glued back together. An odd, and admittedly unpleasant, experience at most. Sooner than she expected, Lily felt solid ground beneath her feet and fresh air all around her.

But the bliss of smelling fresh air was brief. Her forearm still in her masters hand, he pulled her up broad stone steps and through two large, oak doors that reminded Lily of Hogwarts. As the great doors shut with a clang, Lily's master turned to face her. And, although Lily couldn't see his face, she felt that she knew him from somewhere. A rough voice came from the darkness of the hood,

"Welcome to Luna Orior Villa. Lena (lean – ah) will show you to your Quarters, give you your uniform and tell you the procedure here. I will be on a business trip for two weeks, but my brothers, Melvin and Seamus, will be here. You are to answer to them as you would to me. Do you understand?"

Lily nodded. Her master, who seemed to have finished speaking to her, yelled up the marble stairs that led up to an open hallway,

"Lena! Lena, come here!"

A crack and a cloud of dust appeared by Lily's feet. She started and jumped away from the clearing dust. A small House Elf stood there, looking from Lily to her master.

"Yes, Master?"

"Please show Miss Evans to her Quarters. Give her her uniform and explain to her the procedure of Luna Orior Villa. Understood?"

"Understood Master. Come along Missy Evans."

The creature curtsied and shot off towards a door, hidden in the shadow of the staircase. Lily curtsied to and shot off after the elf. Through one door, down a tightly spiraling staircase, through a hallway, another door, another staircase and one last door. Lily was panting, but Lena seemed quite hyper.

"Missy Evans, this is the Servants Quarters. You share with Missy Jackson. She's in town right now, buying more food, but she'll be back soon. Come, Missy Evans. You must get settled in!"

Lily followed the chattering elf into a fairly small room. The walls and floor were made of large, stone bricks. A bit like an old castle, Lily thought. There were two beds, both with trunks at their ends. The bed on the right side of the room was un-made and the trunk was open, clothes hanging from it. A few books lay on the shelves and on the floor next to the trunk. Lily sat down on the left-side bed and looked around. Lena continued to chatter on about procedure.

"Missy Evans, this is Luna Orior Villa. Here at Luna Orior there are three masters. Master Seamus, Master Melvin and Master."

"Master…who?"

"We is just calling him Master, Missy. Well, he has a name, but only the House Elves call him by his name. He doesn't tell the new servants his name for a long time, Missy Evans."

"Oh…"

"Anyway, Missy Evans, like I was saying, we is serving all three masters. Master is almost always away on business trips, but when he is being here, Missy Jackson tends to him. She has been here since Master inherited Luna Orior Villa and she is closest to Master."

"Ok…"

"Now. Master Seamus, we is all liking. But Master Melvin…"

Lena shook her tiny head.

"Master Melvin is not a nice man. No no no. There was a time, perhaps a year or so ago, before Master inherited Luna Orior, when all three masters had personal maids. Master Melvin's maid fled the Villa after the third week, screaming and sobbing. We is never seeing her again…"

Lena sighed. Lily looked rather nervous now.

"So…um…is that all?"

"No Missy Evan—"

"Please, call me Lily."

"Missy Lily, there is a bell that will ring whenever a master is needing you. There are three different bells. Master's is sounding like a Muggle song. Um…Moontown Bats or something…Well, Master is saying that the song is "I don't like Mondays"."

"Boomtown Rats. That's a really good song."

"Yes, Missy. Lena is liking it."

"I have a record of them in my trunk. Maybe I could show it to you sometime…"

"Yes, Missy Lily, whenever you can! Anyway, Master Seamus's bell sounds like the French National Anthem. He is very proud of the French in him." **(So'm I.)**

"And Master Melvin?"

"Master Melvin's is a very strange sound. None of us is liking it, which is unfortunate because it is ringing the most often. Whoever is closest answers the bell. A magical pull will bring you to the room that the master is in."

"Ok…That makes sense."

"Yes, Missy Lily. Now, it is late and supper is already over, but I is saving you some bread and meat and water, because I am thinking that you are hungry."

Lena passed Lily some bread, chicken and a cup of water that was cleverly hidden in the pocket of her…well, it wasn't a jacket. But it wasn't a potato sack…Lena caught Lily thinking as she ate.

"We house-elves here like clothes, but we is not wanting to be free. Master is telling us that we are free, but none of us is wanting to go. We is just wanting to wear clothes. So Master gives us a muggle sewing machine and we is tearing up our old pillow cases that we wore and we is using old fabrics and things that Master gives us to make our own clothes. We is very smart House-Elves."

"Yes, you defiantly are. That's very clever."

Lily spoke as she swallowed her bread and chicken. Downing the water in one gulp, Lily yawned and stretched, then turned her thoughts to her three best friends.

"Missy Lily, it is late and we must be up early. Missy Jackson will wake you up, I think. She will be here soon. Oh, Missy Lily, your uniform! It is on your trunk. I must leave now, Missy Lily. But, Lena will come to visit you whenever I is able to! Bye, Missy Lily!"

Lena scampered out of the room, quick as a bullet and down the hall. Lily heard a door open and close very quickly and high pitch squeaky voices before it closed. Then she looked around more carefully. On her trunk, just as Lena had said, was her uniform. It look almost like her school robes, except they had gold stiching around the cuffs and the neck. And where her Gryffindor crest was on her school robes, there was a different crest. **(I'm currently hunting down my own family crest. –dances- Maybe I'll post a piccy for you guys if I do find it!) **Lily put down the robes and yawned. She climbed into her bed and curled up underneath the sheet. Yawning, she shut her eyes and felt herself instantly slip into sleep.

**

* * *

A/N: Wooot! I finally finished this chapter. I know it's pretty short, and it isn't the best chapter in the world, but it's sort of an info chapter more then anything. Just to give you a general idea of Luna Orior Villa. By the way, 'Luna Orior Villa' means 'Moon Rise Manor' in Latin. By the way, I hope that everyone checks out and http/ And,although I know that many people in the 'Deep South' currently down have power or internet, I just want to tell them that I hope they are all ok. Many people haven't heard from loved ones or friends since Hurricane Katrina and I send my heart out to those people. I dearly hope that all of you and your friends are alright. No, I'm not just saying this to make people like me or just because other people might be. I'm saying this because it's true. A friend of mine lives in Florida, and although Katrina barely skirted his area and I know he's ok, I also know that there are people who might not be. So, I hope that all of you guys are alright and I wish you all the best.**

**-Muse Dae**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters you recognize. But I do own the plot line of _Bonds of Blood_. Arabella Figg, Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans, Peter Pettigrew and Harry Potter all belong to the wonderful goddess J.K. Rowling.

"Lily…Liillyyy…Lily, wake up!"

Ugh. That voice. It was so loud. Lily groaned and rolled over and then right out of the bed. Groaning, Lily pushed a strand of dirty red hair from her face and felt two hands pulling her to her feet. She swayed, blinking. Dark ebony hair, pale skin, dark eyes. Lily's eyes were fuzzy, but slowly began to focus. This girl must be Miss Jackson. Had Lena told her the girls first name? No, Lily didn't think so.

"You are Lily, right?"

Lily nodded. She was to tired to do anything else.

"Good. I'm Orianna Jackson. Ori or Anna for short. Anyway, good morning sleepy head."

"Wah time izzit?"

Lily mumbled. Although her body was awake, her mind sure as hell wasn't. Anna chuckled and went about making Lily's bed as she spoke,

"About 7:45-ish. Get into your uniform. Breakfast starts in fifteen. And a bell usually rings immeadiently afterwards. Usually one of the masters wanting his breakfast. But it's ok. It's your first day, so you don't have to bother with that yet. Got your uniform? Good, lets go then!"

Anna grabbed Lily's arm and dragged her from the room as Lily shoved her arm through the sleeve. At 7:50 in the morning, Lily was still half asleep and her eyes blurred as Anna zoomed through the hallways at top speed. And suddenly, they stopped and Lily nearly toppled over as Anna opened, yet another, oak door. She walked in and Lily followed, quietly shutting the door behind her and sticking close to Anna. The kitchen was, in short, enormous. And almost exactly like the one at Hogwarts. Hundreds of tiny house elves – Lily could've sworn she saw Lena – were scurrying about, cooking and putting food on a large table. And fifteen or twenty girls were either sitting at another large table or getting some food. Lily stuck close to Anna as the two of them went up to get food, then went to sit with a small group of girls. Anna sat down next to a girl with similar ebony-colored hair. Lily sat by Anna and took a bite of her toast.

"Lily, this is Krystal. Krys for short. She's my sister."

Krystal smiled at Lily, who greeted her with a shy nod and went back to her toast as the sisters chattered on about random things. Perhaps Lily drifted off, or she stared staring at her toast, dreaming of different things, but it only felt like seconds when three bells went off at once. Anna and Krystal both stood up, as did Lily.

"Krystal's going to tell you what to do Lily. After lunch you can just wonder around and clean random things."

Anna rushed off, grabbed a tray and dashed out the door before Lily could take a breath. (A/N: As you can see, Anna is very very fast. ) Krystal took Lily's arm and led her out of the kitchen, through more hallways and into the entrance hall.

"Ok Lily. This morning, just clean up this area. Your lunch will be over by the staircase when you finish. Eat it there, then just wonder around and clean stuff. But do not go into the North Wing."

"Ok…"

"Good. Here's a broom, a bucket, a cloth and some other cleaning stuff. Your wand is not to be used for cleaning. I know I know, why bother going to Hogwarts if you never get to use your wand, right?"

Lily nodded vigorously.

"I don't know Lil. I really don't know."

With that Krystal sighed and disappeared up the servants staircase. Lily looked around in despair. Cleaning the muggle way wouldn't be hard, but this hall was enormous. But if she didn't start now, she wouldn't be finished by lunch, which would suck. Sighing, Lily set about dusting the floor with the broom Krystal had left for her.

---Four Hours Later---

(Because the author is a lazy Gemstone-whore who doesn't like to clean or write about cleaning!)

Lily looked around. Amazingly enough, the hall was as clean as it was going to get. And, as Lily's lunch had appeared, it was officially lunch time! Her stomach rumbled as Lily sat down and opened the bag that was on a bench by the stairs. Inside, a can of Diet Coke and a dry chicken sandwich. Not caring that the chicken was dry or that the coke almost exploded when she opened it, Lily tuck in hungrily. Twenty minutes later, the bag and it's rubbish had vanished and Lily was wondering aimlessly around the Manor. Without her wand to aid her, Lily had no clue to which direction she was heading in. (A/N: Hmm…I wonder which way she's going –forces face to look innocent- And, the author is currently in a very bad mood because the author isn't aloud online during the week anymore. Only weekends…-rambling rant- Anyway…-continues rant-) It must have been at least an hour or so before Lily realized that the hallways were getting darker. These had no windows or candles to light the way. (Eceltrizity? –grins- I'd like to thank Arthur Weasley for reminding us all that Wizards don't use it and can't pronounce it.) And soon, Lily was feeling around the walls to try and find her way out of the darkness. And suddenly, a hand came down on her shoulder. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came from it except a muffled moan. A hand had been placed over her mouth, stifling her cry. She was spun around and found herself facing the man who had bought her. Master, the others had called him. She stared up at the face which was hidden in darkness. (A/N: I'm prolly pissing you guys off, aren't I? She STILL hasn't seen his face. And she won't. Not for a very long time. Well, maybe soon. I mean, I dunno how long this story will be.)

"Why are you here?"

His voice was cold and flat. And had a more commanding tone to it then a questioning one.

"I…I'm sorry sir…I got lost…I…"

"I do not want to hear excuses. Especially not from you Miss Evans."

Lily let out a whoosh of breath. He knew her name…But…how? Oh, right…Her hair.

"I…I'm…sorry…"

"Don't let it happen again."

"N…n…no s…sir…"

Lily could barely stammer her words, her hands shaking slightly. She didn't know why. Perhaps she was fearful of being hurt. She'd often heard of the servants being mistreated by their masters. Because women were easy to hit around and because they could do nothing to stop it. They belonged to their master. If their master wished to harm them, they must submit to it without question. Without argument. All but willingly. But they could not fight. It was one of the many, yet few, downfalls of being a woman in the magical society. Lily pulled herself from her thoughts. Her master had removed his hand from her shoulder, but it was now gripping her forearm.

"Come on. I'll get you out of here."  
He hurried her along corridor after corridor until a speck of light gleamed.  
"Go on. Tell Anna to start dinner for me, Seamus and Melvin."

She shivered. Melvin. She didn't like his name and Luna had told her that no one really like Melvin. Her master seemed not to notice as he released her forearm and walked away, back towards the North Wing.

A/N: There's your update. You'll be getting a lot of updates now a days, at least until I get my internet back. Because I have nothing else to do during the two hours I usually spend online/on the computer, I will write. Because I feel like it…DAMNIT, I WANT GEMSTONE BACK…Grrrr….Anyhow, I'm starting chapter 5 tonight. Cause I'm a bitch. And I didn't start it earlier. I've got loads of new ideas. And Forgotten Dreams is coming along. But those chapters are harder to write because…just because.


	5. New Friends, Deaths and Beatings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters you recognize. But I do own the plot line of _Bonds of Blood_. Arabella Figg, Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans, Peter Pettigrew and Harry Potter all belong to the wonderful goddess J.K. Rowling.

* * *

After two months Lily had gotten used to the procedure at Luna Orior. She woke up, got dressed, went to breakfast with Anna, then went about cleaning. She soon knew the manor as well as she had known Hogwarts and it's many secret passages. But, although she passed it many times, Lily never ventured back into the North Wing. And soon, she knew why Master Seamus was the most liked of her three masters and why Master Melvin was the least liked. And Master? Nobody really had an opinion on him. Since he was rarely at the manor, nobody really knew him, except for Anna. 

As Lily's third month at the manor approached, news flew through the servants quarters like wildfire. The masters were throwing a ball. At first, Lily didn't understand what the fuss was about. They were servants. They couldn't attend these balls. Until Anna told her.

"Lily! Come on. We're all going to the dressing rooms to choose gowns!"

"For…what?"

"The ball, stupid! Remember what Luna told you? That our masters are kind and caring. They let us attend their balls, like real people! Because otherwise, there would be no women there…"

"True…true…"

"Well, come on! Lets go!"

And with that Anna grabbed Lily's wrist and sped off towards an area Lily had never visited. It was like the potions dungeon at Hogwarts, but it was filled with hundreds of racks of ball gowns.

_It's like Harold's Prom Season, on pot…_

Lily shuddered. She remembered once, long ago, when Petunia had been 17 and was going to her Prom and her mother had taken Petunia to Harolds, and dragged Lily along. It had been torture. Four hours of lace and puffy dresses, topped with screaming 17 year olds and chattering mothers. As Lily shuddered, she looked around. Pink poof in the front, but looks are deceiving, right?

"Anna…is there anything other then…pink?"

"Of course silly. You think that Krystal would wear pink? Or Ashley?"

Ashley was Lily's newest friend. As tall as Lily, Ashley had long black hair and pale skin. Lily chuckled at the thought of Ashley wearing pink.

"Not a chance. Ashley would die and Krystal would burn the dress…"

"Right. So, come on!"

Pulling Lily's wrist, Anna led her through half the room, which was filled with two things. One, giggling girls. Two, pink poofy dresses. And then…Heaven. No more pink fluff obscured Lily's vision as Anna dropped Lily's wrist and pointed to two girls looking closely at a shimmery dress. The two seemed to be arguing. Anna and Lily made their way over to the two girls.

"Krystal! That's not a dress, it's a cocktail napkin!"

"It is not a cocktail napkin!"

"IT'S A COCKTAIL NAPKIN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

Lily chuckled as Ashley stole the 'cocktail napkin' from Krystal and put it back on the rack. Lily and Anna, who had regained control of her laughing, walked over. Lily tapped Krystal on the shoulder.

"To say the least, it looked more like a cocktail napkin…"

Krystal glared at Lily, then burst out laughing.

"I can't stay mad at you. It's not fair!"

Lily grinned.

"It's a gift, my dear."

"Gah! Nooo! You sound like Trewlawny. That Ravenclaw 'seer' who graduated a few years before us, Krystal. She graduated when you were a third year Lily. Same for you Ashley."

"Her? Ugh…I hated that girl. She was so…ugh. I couldn't breath with her around."

"Anyway, switching to a nicer topic…Lily, look at this dress…"

Anna was holding up a dress that resembled a nothing more then a piece of shimmery black fabric. Which was basically what it was.

"Anna! That's short as hell! Honestly!"

Lily glared at Anna, who put the dress back on the rack, laughing.

"Lils, you know I was kidding!"

"I know, I know."

With that final note, the four girls began to sift through the masses of fabric, sometimes crying out if they found something potentially nice. And finally, after hours of sifting, they each had a dress to wear. Lily held a simple emerald gown, so dark it was almost black, which shimmered when it moved. Ashley was holding a dark blue dress that ended just above her ankles and clung to her. Anna and Krystal both had similar gowns. Anna's was a deep purple while Krystal's was a deep crimson. Both had hundreds of ties at the sides.

"Well girls, if I don't say so myself, I think we've done a very good job."

"I agree Lils."

The four girls chuckled as they left the dungeon, still filled with girls, and headed towards their rooms. On Sundays, they were free, which was why the dresses had been set up. They had no bells on Sundays, except for dire things. The house elves took care of the usual duties, while the girls got brief reprieves. And now, they gathered in Lily and Anna's room, sitting on Lily's bed. The ball would take place in six days, on Saturday. And Lily knew how fast the week would go for the girls who weren't looking forward to it, and how slowly the week would go for the rest.

* * *

And she was right. In no time at all, it was Saturday evening. At 5:30, Anna, Lily, Krystal and Ashley were all in Anna and Lily's room again, getting ready. The ball started at sundown, which today was 6:49. And getting ready took a long time, especially with the four of them. At 6:30, Lily was the only one in her dress, doing her hair with Anna's wand. **(Yes, Anna gets her wand, because she's been at Luna Orior for the longest and she is the most trusted there. )** Ashley was finishing her makeup and searching for her dress, which was sitting on Lily's bed. She let out a cry of triumph as she found it and slipped into it. Anna and Krystal were in their dresses now, and doing each others hair and makeup. And now, it was 6:45 and the four girls, along with the other servants, were waiting outside of the Great Hall **(A/N: I'm so creative! ) **to go in, chattering excitedly. And then, the last streaks of sun faded from the Entrance Hall floor and the doors opened. The girls filtered in and moved towards a stage, where the three masters were standing.

"Alright girls. We've let you come to the ball, but you must behave. Do not do anything that might in any way embarrass us. There will be severe conciquences. The most prominent men in the wizarding world, along with the servants they bring, will be here tonight. The list includes; Mr. Remus John Lupin, Mr. Sirius Kevin Black, Mr. Cory Riddle **(A/N: Voldemort's second-in-command. His younger brother. I know, THE HORROR!)**, Mr. Lucius Draco Malfoy V, Mr. Lucius Draco Malfoy VI, Mr. David Alexandre Delacor, Mr. Alexander Jacob Flint, Mr. Andrew Jarod Wood, and others. **(A/N: I ran out of ideas for names! )** Please treat all of them with the utmost respect. The guests have started arriving, now have _fun_ and behave…"

Seamus and Melvin split that speech. Melvin beginning it, Seamus listing the attendee's, and Melvin finishing it. He sneered the word fun, and looked around the hall, his dark eyes scanning the girls. Some shuddered under his look, others averted their eyes. The crowd dispersed and Lily was feeling estatic. Lupin and Black would be here. Which meant that with any luck, Bella, Kari and Katrina would be here. And when asked, Lily explained to her three fellows about what had happened. As she spoke, she rubbed the spot on the back of her head where she had received that blow to the head on the platform. And soon, men were streaming into the hall. At least 170 men, not counting the servants they had brought. Lily saw Remus Lupin and Sirius Black walk into the hall, talking fast, with, collectively, ten or fifteen girls behind them. Among them, Kari and Arabella, who were looking sad and drawn. Lily waved them both over and looked around.

"Where's…"

"Kari's dead."

Lily paled, then felt herself falling as darkness consumed her vision.

* * *

"She's waking up." 

"She's only been out for a couple of minutes though…"

"Doesn't matter…She's awake!"

Lily opened her eyes and found herself behind a plant, Anna and Katrina's arms holding her up. She pushed herself to her feet and stumbled out from behind the plant.

"What happened?"

"You passed out once we told you that…Kari died…"

"How…?"

Arabella let out a dry sob and Katrina took a deep breath before recounting what had happened.

"Kari and I were bought by Lupin, aye? Well, he's pretty cool and all, but he has this…thing…"

"He's a werewolf. I know."

"How…"

"I helped Potter and Black with a potion and a few charms in fifth year. They accidentally let slip that Lupin was a werewolf."

"Right. Anyway, it'd been two months since we'd come to his home and Kari was feeling sick. Pretty stressed out, I think, because she'd been working on the Wolfsbane potion and cleaning up for a while because I had been sick…And sometimes I think she'd still be here if I hadn't gotten sick. Anyway, it was an off day and she went off into town. And she didn't come back. Master Lupin went out to find her and…he found her in the middle of the street. Killed herself with her wand. Stole it, I think. Master Lupin was devastated, but he sent her body to our parents, with a note and her wand. I think my parents were grateful."

Katrina finished with a choked sob, which drew the eyes of many surrounding party-goers. As Lily attempted to calm her semi-hysterical friend, she felt a set of eyes on her back and looked around. Melvin was glaring daggers at her from across the room. Lily gulped,  
remembering the speech that he and Seamus had made earlier, but she continued to comfort her friend.

**

* * *

(Hmm….Shall I stop here? I don't want to split the ball into two sections, cause that'd be mean…but…-ponders-**

**Voice 24: **Mus3, 1 d0nt th1nk y0u sh0u1d st0p h3r3. 1 th1nk that y0u sh0u1d k33p wr1t1ng…

**Muse: **What the heck? –stares at the ones and threes and zeros blankly-

**Voice 25: **What 24 was trying to say was, that she doesn't think you should stop here. You should keep writing this chapter…

**Voice 24: **1 sa1d that stup1d! g0d! any1 w0u1d th1nk 1 was sp3ak1ng an0th3r languag3 0r s0m3th1ng…

**Voice 25: **-blinks then turns laughter into hacking cough-

**Muse: **-edges away from the voices- GET OUT OF HERE!

**Voice 26: **-wanders in- Though we would very much like to leave…

**Muse: -**-sharpens knives threateningly-

**Voice 26: **I mean, we can't leave because we're inside you head! We love it here, right guys?

**Voices 1-69: **-murmers-

**Muse: **-sharpens knife-

**Voices 1-69: **YEAH! WE LOVE IT! Can ya put away the knife now? –all look scared-

**Muse: **Right…

**Voice 13: **Please excuse this strange, strange moment…Back to the story!

* * *

Needless to say, the news of Kari's death had left the six girls in quite a slump. Anna, Krystal, Ashley, Katrina, Bella and Lily sat in a corner for the rest of the night, talking quietly, with an occasionally sob or cry. And more than once, Lily found herself being glared at by Melvin. And for some reason or another, she felt unnerved whenever she found his eyes glaring at her. Melvin was a strange character, that was for sure. He was almost like Lucius Malfoy VI in some ways. And from the things Lily had heard about him, she was sure he would have done well to be put in Slytherin. But, amazingly enough, he was sorted into Gryffindor, along with his brothers. But that was about all Lily knew about Melvin. Not a lot to go on, but she had already formed the impression that Melvin was a sly, devious man who only did things when he saw some benefit in it for himself.

Around midnight, the ball began to wind down and people were slowly leaving. Katrina left with Lupin and a few others around 11:30, while Bella and a few other servants left with Black at 11:45. And at midnight, Lily, Ashley, Anna and Krystal were walking back towards their rooms. Talking quietly, they held a slow pace as they walked down a hallway, eyes fixed on the ground. And quite suddenly, Lily, who was at the very edge of the group, felt a hand fix over her mouth and another hand pull her into a room before she could blink. It was dark and the door behind her slammed shut almost immeadantly. The candles lit themselves and Lily looked around. Melvin was sitting in a chair by the desk, glaring at Lily, fire buring in his dark eyes.

"Evans, your friends caused a disturbance tonight. You should have kept her quiet."

"Sir, I tried but…"

Lily began to speak but Melvin stood up and strode over to her, glaring.

"I don't want explinations Miss Evans. You failed in your duty to keep order, as I stated in that speech before the guests arrived. You should have kept her quiet. That girl was not quiet, and you shall pay the consequences."

Lily looked determinadly at the floor while Melvin spoke. And suddenly, she felt a stinging pain on the side of her cheek and was lying in a heap in a corner. She cried out in pain. Melvin hissed angrily.

"Shut up, you stupid wench."

Lily screamed, loud as she could, hoping one of her friends might hear. Another sharp slap and Lily tasted metal. She wiped her mouth on her hand and saw blood on it. Melvin was hovering above her, fury etched into his face. **(Yeah yeah, I know it's a stupid reason, not keeping Katrina quiet, but oh well. Melvin's not a reasonable guy! XD) **She opened her mouth, hoping to scream out one more time, but before she could make a sound, Melvin's fist connected with her stomach. She gasped for air and he pulled her roughly to her feet. She stood shaking, hunched, trying to make herself seem smaller, as her angry master stood infront of her.

* * *

Anna looked around.

"Where's Lily?"

Ashley and Krystal started and lifted their heads. Lily wasn't with them. But, only a moment ago, she had been beside them…Where was she?

"She was here a minute ago…Where'd she—"

Ashley was cut off by a piercing scream, coming room behind a door several yards back. In an instant, the three girls registered two facts. One; behind that door was Melvin's private study. And two; that scream was unmistakably Lily.

"Krystal, Ashley, go find Master Seamus and tell him what's going on. Lily's obviously getting hurt…"

Not a moment later, another scream pierced the air.

"Go!"

Ashley and Krystal shot off towards Master Seamus's rooms and Anna ran through a tapestry that led to the North Wing.

* * *

Krystal and Ashley ran through hallway after hallway and skidded to a halt outside of Master Seamus's quarters. They hammered on the door and it opened. Seamus, still in his dress robes, stood there looking rather annoyed.

"What is so important that you have to come and rap on my door at 12:15?"

"Lily Evans is in trouble."

"Say what?"

"Lily. We were walking down the hallway and she sort of vanished and then we heard screaming coming from Master Melvin's private study. And it sounded like Lily…"

Seamus looked startled and closed the door behind him as he ran after Krystal and Ashley, down hallways and towards Melvin's study.

* * *

Anna, on the other hand, was yelling through Master's door at the top of her voice.

"GET UP YOU LAZY BUM! LILY EVANS IS IN TROUBLE!"

Half a moment later, Master was following Anna through the tapestry, his cloak still covering his face. **(XD I know you hate me for keeping his identity a secret…But all will be revealed…soon!) **

* * *

Inside Melvin's study, Lily was pushing herself into a corner, making herself as small as she could, desperately trying to avoid the punches and slaps that were raining down on her. (Melvin's…weird. Don't ask. He's just physco…Ok? XD) She closed her eyes, huddled into a ball, when she heard the door bang open. Melvin was pulled away from her and she thought she heard a thud on the other side of the room.

_**(Flashback…)**_

Moments before Seamus and Master had pushed open Melvin's door, Seamus had turned to Ashley, Anna and Krystal.

"Go back to your rooms."

"But—"

"No buts! Go!"

"We want to be here for L—"

"Just go!"

Seamus roared, sending the three shaky girls off towards their rooms. Well, more like Anna and Lily's room.

_**(End flashback)  
(That was just to explain why Anna, Krystal and Ashley didn't dash in and over to Lily as soon as the door opened. XD)**_

Lily opened her eyes to see Seamus levitating Melvin, who looked uncouncious, on the other side of the room. And in front of her, her Master stood, his eyes flashing from beneath his hood. (XD) Lily hurriedly, shakily pushed herself up, leaning against the wall for support.

"I'm s…s…sorry M…Master…Master Melvin was j…just angry at m…me...—"

Before Lily could finish her sentence, her legs collapsed from under her. She moaned, bracing herself for hitting the ground, which would hurt, although she was very close to it. But the fall never came. Instead, her Master caught her in his arms just before darkness consumed her vision.

**

* * *

A/N: And that's the end of the chapter! It was pretty long, aye? 12 pages. Longest EVER! You all better be thankful! –grins- XD It took longer cause I just got the SIMS 2 NIGHTLIFE! AHAHAHA! No new chapter this weekend though. I won't be in the country. I shall be in England, participating in some study my mom signed me up for when I was little. –mutters- Heck, maybe somebody who reads this might be there…-dances- I hope they are. That'd be wicked awesome! So, if you think your going to a study thing in England in the following four days, look for a brunette teen with gold streaky highlights that make her look dirty blonde, in some peoples opinion. Some of my friends say my hair looks dirty blonde, some of them say it's brown with gold highlights. More of them. XD I'm a highlight slut. XD. Whatever. Hope to see one of you. It's doubtful, but I can dream! Love you people! So do voices 1-69! Bye!**

**-Muse**


End file.
